If you’re an online marketer who wants to get their products in front of as many customers as possible, then you’ve probably considered trying affiliate marketing.
No matter what your experience level may be, integrating a standalone affiliate marketing program with your online store can be a challenge. Luckily for you, we’re going to walk you through the steps to easily integrate a Gotowebsite and AWeber account so you can start earning affiliate commissions today.
The Challenge
Even for experienced marketers, integrating a third-party affiliate marketing platform with your own is no easy feat. Each platform operates with its own terminology and user interface, and it can be difficult to get used to using two separate platforms to drive sales. If you’ve never integrated a third-party affiliate platform, then this task may seem overwhelming.
You’re going to have to learn a new way of doing things. Fortunately, we’re here to help with Step by Step guides for integrating Gotowebsite and AWeber. So let’s get started.
Step 1: Set Up Your AWeber Account
This first step is actually more complex than you’d think. Once you have your account set up (which we’ll get into in a bit), you need to figure out what type of email marketing campaign you want to run. Do you want to use AWeber to send birthday spam to your contacts? Or do you want to use the platform to send carefully targeted marketing emails based on individual purchase behaviors? (If you’re curious, you can read more about Mailchimp vs. AWeber here).
Whatever your motivation for using AWeber, you need to have an idea of what type of email marketing you’re going to use before you begin this step. This is because you can’t change the settings of your account once it’s been integrated with the third party. You’ll need to contact the support team to have the settings changed. (Learn more about AWeber’s email marketing settings here).
Step 2: Install the AWeber Plugin on Your WordPress Site
Now that you have your AWeber account set up, you need to install the AWeber WordPress plugin. This plugin will let you manage all of your email marketing from within your WordPress site. It’s important to note that this plugin is different from the AWeber service. The plugin will only allow you to effectively use AWeber’s email marketing features, and it won’t provide you with any value beyond that. (See our step-by-step guide to installing the AWeber WordPress plugin for more details).
Step 3: Set Up Sales For Your Amazon Affiliate Account
Next on the list is to set up your Amazon affiliate account. This step is pretty self-explanatory. You’ll need to choose a niche for your affiliate marketing, decide on an affiliate program to join, and create a special link for your site. (See our complete guide to creating an Amazon affiliate account here).
Step 4: Link Your Amazon Affiliate Account to Your AWeber Account
Once you have your Amazon affiliate account set up and linked to your AWeber account, it’s time to take your email marketing to the next level. When your Amazon affiliate account receives a commission when a customer clicks a link or buys a product that’s been promoted on your site, you’ll receive a percentage as a commission.
To track sales from your Amazon affiliate account, you’ll need to install the Wordfence affiliate tracking plugin. (Learn more about the Wordfence affiliate plugin here). Once installed, you can access the reports through your WordPress dashboard. These reports let you see exactly how effective your affiliate marketing strategies have been and allow you to easily set up future campaigns. (See our step-by-step guide to integrating Amazon affiliate and AWeber accounts here).
The Pros
As you can see, all of this may seem a lot to take in. However, as an experienced marketer, you’ll know the benefits of using a third-party affiliate marketing platform. Here are some of the pros:
- Cost-effective. Many affiliate marketing platforms offer discounts for larger purchases. This can save you a lot of money if you’re running a smaller budget.
- Conversion Rates. The cost-effectiveness of the platform means you can experiment with A/B testing to see which offers produce the best conversion rates. You can also use tools like Google Optimizer to quickly find the winning combination of words and offers.
- Dedicated Support. The people behind the platforms are usually fairly active on social media and provide excellent customer support via chat or email. This way, you can always get help whenever you need it. If you’ve ever spent hours exploring the settings of one of these platforms, trying to figure out how to use it effectively, then you’ll know what we mean. Having a dedicated support team is vital when you’re new to the platform and don’t have a lot of experience using it.
- More Than One Way to Reach Customers. Unlike most platforms, AWeber allows you to choose the channels you want to use to reach your audience. This means you can use several different marketing methods to bring in the customers. Some of the methods include:
- Email marketing
- Display advertising (like Google Ads or Facebook ads)
- And the list goes on
- Free Trials. Some affiliate marketing platforms allow you to try their software for free. You don’t need to worry about buying a plugin or a tool to start using the platform. Just visit their site and register to receive your free trial.
- Cross-platform compatibility. Some of the toolsets, such as ClickFunnels and Unbounce, designed for affiliate marketing allow you to create campaigns that seamlessly work across all platforms. This makes it easy for potential customers to find and connect with you.
- Commission Splits. Some of the platforms, like Swagbucks, payout 70% of sales to affiliates. This can mean more money for you!
The Cons